


am not i a fly like thee?

by Justausernameonline



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: 100-word drabbles from Chapter Two hereon, Character Study, Miscellaneous stuff, NB Byleth, Other, Post-Timeskip, Pre-Timeskip, might continue into release, pre-release
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-07-12 15:03:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19948147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Justausernameonline/pseuds/Justausernameonline
Summary: "Few commoners have joined the Black Eagle House, but Dorothea is an exception. She's a songstress from a famous opera company in the Empire... I'm not entirely sure what brought her to the Officers Academy." - EdelgardHer foot's in the door singing. How long it'll stay that way - she can't leave that to chance. Can't there be something else?//Bits of guessing on the life of Dorothea Arnault.





	1. Bud///get

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth and Dorothea talk a bit about budget.

Never did Dorothea think she would discuss budget with anyone on the monastery, much less with the powers that be, but she can’t ignore the relief in Professor’s Byleth voice as she goes over their first month’s stipend. 

Their authority, at first, is really an exaggeration, given how swiftly they’re appointed. But she does take care to honor their new title. She can’t help noticing the jarring leap from their stoic features, measured pacings and instruction to the reedy tone they’ve taken on in the whole first week. As much as they’ve garnered respect, it bothers her that another common folk must learn the steps in much shorter time. 

It’s how it is. Their blade, her voice, are what keeps them afloat with the nobility. 

“I think it’s okay now. Enough for emergency funds should there be… emergencies. ” Dorothea’s chuckle is slightly forced. “This really is the starting wage for new professors, huh?”

“So it seems,” Professor Byleth says. Their quiet drawl returns, the mild panic in their tone fleeting as they weakly pump the air. “I imagine I’d have a much tougher time without your aid. I’ve lots on my plate. Thank you so much, Dorothea.”

After the adrenaline in her intervention with the budget wears off, hearing her first name only puts Dorothea at ease. “Well, I’m only doing what should be done.” 

She motions to their young planner. “I’ll admit, I’m excited to see how you do... As long as I get time to practice?” 

They frown, running a hand through their long hair. “Isn’t that a given?” 

“Oh. Musically. I know we have the choir and all, but there’s also much music to learn outside of sacred hymns.” Dorothea pauses, wonders if she’s overstepped, then. She finds comfort in massaging the hem of her skirt. “But I’m aware of the curriculum.”

“There could be an exception… like me, surprisingly,” Professor Byleth mutters. “Maybe I could do something from this very outset?” They lift their gaze from their planner to meet hers, peering deep. 

_No, don’t do that—_

She flinches away. “Just a thought, professor.”

“I’ll sure think it over.”

Dorothea almost skips. “Thank you! Um, I’ll be on my way, now. I didn’t mean to press you.”

“It’s fine. This has actually been… the most I’ve spoken outside of the classroom.” They give a smile so brief, but she doesn’t miss it. She beams back. “Take care of yourself, Dorothea.”

“You too, professor. And your wallet!”

Dorothea listens to their slight laugh round off the walls before she’s off and out their office, recalling her own schedule. She would hold off berating herself over her last words until she’s back in her own room, but the talk resurfaces her own financial worries, if not psychic ones.

She tries to shrug it off. For as long as she attends Garreg Mach, she’ll play the part she’s been given.

The shared struggle, though, is never lost on her. 

//


	2. can't eat it too

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For a moment, Dorothea and Bern talk food and Rhea. It almost goes well.

“Fruit salad, yummy yummy.”

“Fruit salad... yummy-yummy.”

“Fruit salad, yummy yummy.”

“Yummy-yummy…” 

“Yummy yummy.”

“Fruit salad! But I whole-heartedly agree with you, Bern. The archbishop’s judgment is rather draconian, to be honest.”

Bern’s eyes flutter from the oven to the bowl of chopped assortment in Dorothea’s hands. “M-Maybe we should talk about that later? I want to work on the frosting.”

“Sure thing. I can do the grunt work,” she assents, setting aside the bowl as she lists off the ingredients in her head. They’re all in the pantry, always well-stocked with the freshest things for all Garreg Mach, and she has to wear down a twinge of envy. 

Its insistence to resurface her life of hand-to-mouth in Enbarr is a constant push and pull for her when she should feel more than grateful. But rarely. Why is that? She’s passed the tests with flying colors. She’s made a mark in her House. Her web of connections have been prospering as of late. But it’s never enough, it seems.

When she hums a tune for calm, the cadences falls into a familiar hymn that she cuts off with a deliberate huff of flatness. Her first one is all too memorable: she earned more coins that way, playing the pious street urchin beside the gaudy cathedrals. In that way, she's learned from them to fabricate her own. And while each pleases the ear, perhaps even soothing the ache in her heart, she can’t quite express the same to the Goddess. 

She picks up the ingredients and arranges them in an orderly manner on the table island before her. “Bern. Professor wants us for choir this week, I’m guessing?”

“Yeah…?”

“Perfect.” And definitely not the kind for intervals.

“I think you could ask them to skip out for this week…” Bern says, icing pouch in her hands. “Also, about what you said earlier?” Although her complexion is clammy at best, she delivers her next words with shaky determination: “I don’t know how the professor manages to be around her! The way she just told the Western Church people to go die was—ugh! Scary.” 

“Undoubtedly,” Dorothea says, not one for leaving Bernie hanging after a small controversial statement like _that_ after recent events. “Right now, I’m taking the professor’s trust in her with a grain of salt. They’re pretty perceptive, but you know… gut feeling.”

“Well, my gut’s telling me that something isn’t right.” Bern makes a noise Dorothea couldn’t hope to replicate, her woes spelled in clearest terms. 

“It’s probably best that we don’t dwell on it. Hey! We should compose a cake song. How about it?”

“I guess… we already have a song for fruit salad…” Bern jolts. “Dorothea, check the stove!”

“Yeah!” She strolls over, popping open its door. Sure enough, like Bern taught her, the crust is just the right amount of dry. It’s not sizzling anymore. “I’ll set it on the table, just you wait,” she announces, reaching forward, so intent on forgetting, refocusing, that her hands are bare of any supporting rags.

Bern squeaks behind her. “D-Dorothea, what about the—”

She grips the cake pan.

* * *

Unspeakable, for what has followed. One could call Dorothea blasphemous with the words she utters.

Needless to say, she has a higher range than suspected.

//

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For a clearer idea of Dorothea's response (I love her and I'm sorry for putting her through that): https://twitter.com/ICSandwichGuy/status/1163507617781682177 (the source of the song can be found in the thread, I think)
> 
> //
> 
> I'm planning to get a switch lite someday lol but not today. I hope everyone's enjoying themselves!

**Author's Note:**

> (A/N): Disclaimer: I'm not a pro or regular singer, but I really like Dorothea's musical character!
> 
> Three more days!!!
> 
> The title is a verse taken from William Blake's "The Fly" (1794) in his poetry collection, Songs of Experience. It's been set to music by Esperanza Spalding, a bassist and singer.
> 
> https://youtu.be/w2JRGv91urY  
> https://poets.org/poem/fly
> 
> Edit: 07/26/19 12:36) Apparently you get 1000G from your first month. Wow  
> Edit: (08/22/19, 20:13) The other chapters are written after the release!


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